MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

Fukudome update

Kosuke Fukudome hit his first homer this spring with one on and one out in the ninth inning Monday to pull within 8-7 of the Royals. The Cubs then tied the game on Kyle Reynolds’ RBI double, and that was the final score, 8-8. But Fukudome also was charged with an error that led to two Kansas City runs in the bottom of the eighth. He told the Japanese writers that right fielder Reed Johnson was having trouble with the sun, which could have led to the confusion. Both had converged on the ball. We’ll find out more on Tuesday. Fukudome is batting .167.

7 Comments

It makes me sad to see so many vulturous fans – Cubs and otherwise- already circling Fukudome, waiting for him to fail so they can swoop in and pick his bones with “I TOLD YOU SO’S!!!”

If you’re really a Cubs fan, give the man a chance. He’s had 12 spring training ABs. Let him get his feet under him and – yes – even let him have a couple weeks (at least) of regular season play before you tear him to pieces.

I realize I’m wasting my virtual breath here, but I feel I must try nonetheless.

Gotta hand it to belikemike, you’re dead on.
So what if Fukonoshow does catch everything in sight?,
not likely since he is at least a little over-rated as
a defensive fielder plus he’ll be in center this season
not his natural positon. Did we see the first two months of last season? Sure did, should we give everybody in the major leagues a starting job if they have two good months in the magors? If so, Matt Murton would still be starting in left field. Fuko would have to rebound with a .310 average, 80 rbi and 20 homers to be considered worth his signing. I’d rather not have him take ab’s away from Johnson.
I’m not in it for the “I told you so’s” I couldn’t give darn. I’m in it for the best players to be on the feild. He hasn’t even shown anything in the WBC, his own country benched him the last two games right? Yeesh, what’s the attachment to this guy anyway? He’s not a stand out rookie with a whole career ahead of him, not that Hendry would know what one
of those players looks like anyway. Fukodome can be a nice little defensive replacement, pinch runner. Let him collect his paycheck riding the bench while the rest of the team goes out there and wins some ball games.

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